A Long Lost Friendship
by Unexpected-Adventures
Summary: A brief history of Severus Snape and Lily Evans inspired by the lyrics of 'A Perfect Sonnet', by Bright Eyes. A Short Story for Round 2 of Quidditch League Writing Competition!


**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters/story lines that belong to it, all credit goes to God-Queen Rowling!**

* * *

**This is a short story I wrote for Round 2 of the Quidditch League Writing Competition I am currently in.  
I am Chaser 2 for the Caerphilly Catapults!**

**Pairing: Severus & Lily  
Prompts: Freedom, How to win & Dialogue:****_ "Please tell me you're not serious. Please."_**

**Inspiration Lyrics:  
****_"But once you knew girl and you named her Lover,  
And you danced with her in kitchens through the greenest summer.  
But autumn came, she disappeared,  
You can't remember where she said she was going."  
_**** - A Perfect Sonnet, Bright Eyes**

* * *

Severus Snape had never been a boy to have many emotions, but that was before he met Lily Evans.

Since the moment they first met, Severus had her memorized: her long auburn hair, stunning green eyes and smile so bright it could light up the world in an instant. When he was around her he didn't feel so lost in the world, rather like he had a purpose in life – and that purpose was her.

"Sev, I wish you would pay attention to me when I talk."

"Oh, sorry, what were you saying?"

Severus had gone into another one of his stupors that he usually had when he was around Lily, but they had been coming on more regularly over these summer holidays leading up to their fifth year at Hogwarts.

"Honestly, what has been going on with you lately?" Lily asked, "The moment I start talking you blank out and don't listen to a word I say."

Severus shrugged and busied himself with making a sandwich, indicating he was in no mood to talk about his emotions, which was a common occurrence for him.

"Oh, don't be like that Sev," she pined, walking around the kitchen bench to stand beside him, "You know I can make you spill if I want to."

"No you can't," Severus replied, deliberately avoiding Lily's gaze, knowing looking into her beautiful eyes would risk another of his trances.

Lily smirked dangerously and grabbed his arm, dragging Severus over to an empty space in her kitchen.

"Lily, what are you-?"

Music began to play out of the radio sitting on the bench and Lily smiled mischievously. She took his hand in hers and placed her other on his shoulder, swaying in time to the music.

Severus flushed a furious shade of red when she put his hand on her waist, trying his best to not get lost in her presence.

_"Lately I've been wishing I had one desire, something that would make me never want another…"_

Lily let out a laugh that sent chills down the back of his spine, and she spun around gracefully in his arms, taking him with her wherever she danced.

_"I believe that lovers should be tied together, thrown into the ocean in the worst of weather…"_

Severus could not help but smile and laugh with her and stare into her gorgeous emerald green eyes.

_"So I stand in the sun and I breathe with my lungs, trying to spare me the weight of the truth…"_

In this moment, Severus Snape felt what it would be like to call Lily Evans his lover, to be able to dance around in a kitchen with her forever, without a care in the world.

In this moment he forgot the woes of his life and why so often he secretly cried himself to sleep.

In this moment Severus felt true freedom.

* * *

"Lily, please listen to me."

"Go away, Severus."

"But I didn't mean to say it."

"Then why did you?"

"Because I was angry, I- I…"

Lily spun around on her heel, her auburn hair falling in her face and her emerald eyes no longer showing the spark she used to have whenever she looked at Severus.

"I don't have anything else to say to you," she said sharply, and without another word she stalked away from him.

Severus sighed and slumped against the wall, slowly falling to the ground in despair as he watched the figure of Lily disappear around a corridor.

In one stupid sentence he had managed to ruin one of the best friendships he had ever had in his life, one that had had the capability to turn into something so much more…

"What are you sulking about now, _Snivellus_?"

Severus looked up from the ground to see the figure of James Potter lurking over him. He sighed once again at his luck – not only was he going to have to deal with Lily's rejection, but now a brutal beating from Potter.

"Nothing that concerns you, _Potter_," he retorted, but his voice did not have the edge of hatred it usually did when he talked to James. He was too broken to make any effort.

"When it comes to Evans, I make it my concern," James said defiantly.

Severus stood up wearily, his back still against the wall and he faced James with a look of anguish.

"Well you don't have to worry about protecting your precious _Evans_ anymore," he told James, "She's not coming near me any time soon."

"I should think not after the way you treated her."

"Don't patronise me Potter, I know what I did."

"Yet you still try to win her back?" James asked arrogantly, "It won't work in a million years."

"Then tell me how," Severus blurted out before he could stop himself.

James raised his eyebrows, "What?"

"Tell me how to win her back," Severus said desperately. Even in his state of dejection he knew very well who he was asking for help, but he no longer cared. All Severus Snape cared about right now was Lily Evans.

James stared blankly for a long while and then when he seemed to come to his senses his eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"Not a chance," James shook his head, "You hurt Evans once and I'm not giving you the opportunity to do it again."

James began to walk away but Severus reached out a hand to stop him.

"Please," he pleaded, "Please help me."

James sighed and shifted his arm away from Severus' grip, "No. You'll just have to learn to live with what you did."

James walked away from him without another glance, and Severus slipped back against the wall, burying his face in his hands.

In this moment he felt like all the happy times he had spent with Lily were a lifetime away, and the hope he had once felt was no more than a pathetic dream.

In this moment Severus fell into a depression so deep no one could pull him to safety.

* * *

"Lily! Please wait!"

Lily Evans had quickly turned her back on Severus Snape after they had unexpectedly met in Diagon Alley, a few months after their graduation from Hogwarts.

But Severus was not lagging behind this time – he had to know if the rumours were true.

"Lily! Come on-"

"No, Severus!"

She spun around angrily at her pursuer and Severus stopped in his tracks, a few feet away from her.

"Please just tell me, are the rumours true?"

"That you're a prat? Yes, those are true," she spat.

In any other situation Severus might have laughed at that comment, recognizing Lily's familiar sense of humour. His heart ached uncomfortably when he realised how much he missed that about her. But who was he kidding? He missed everything about her.

"No, that you're- that you're-" he stutted with his words, unable to speak the thing he was dreading.

Lily tapped her foot impatiently and crossed her arms tight over her chest.

"That you're- engaged to _Potter_," he finally managed to say, and shuddered even at the thought of it.

"I don't think that's any of your business, Severus," she said defiantly, "But yes, I am engaged to _James_."

Severus stared dumbstrucked at Lily, his heart sinking to the floor. He had not actually believed it could be true until she just said it.

"Please tell me you're not serious. Please," he said, almost pleading.

"Yes, I am," she said, "And it is no longer any concern of yours what I do with my life."

"Lily, I know you will never forgive me but please, _don't do this_."

Lily stared at him and for a moment he thought he saw an expression cross her face that he had not seen since they were best friends. A look she used to get whenever she was regarding him carefully, but back then it had been out of care and love. Now whenever he looked into her once bright eyes they showed nothing but stone cold hatred.

"Goodbye, Severus," she said quietly, and her voice shook dangerously as she spoke.

Before she turned away from him for the last time, he saw the glint of tears in her beautiful emerald eyes and his heart broke even more.

Severus watched his once best friend walk through the crowd away from him, her auburn hair flowing behind her so gracefully.

And in this moment, Severus Snape knew he had lost Lily Evans forever.


End file.
